On Sunday, February 14, 2010, Kenya’s Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, held a press conference at his office to announce the suspension of two Cabinet Ministers, William Ruto, who was serving as the Minister of Agriculture, and Professor Sam Ongeri, who was the Minister of Education.
Odinga stated that he decided to suspend both ministers due to corruption allegations following a similar action taken by President Mwai Kibaki, who had suspended eight government officials, including five permanent secretaries and heads of state corporations, implicated in a scandal involving subsidized maize.
“In exercise of the authority vested in me as Prime Minister, in accordance with Section 15 (a) of the Constitution and Section 4 (1) of the National Accord and Reconciliation Act, which grants me the authority to supervise the execution of government functions, I hereby suspend the following ministers with immediate effect for a period of three months: Hon. William Ruto, Minister of Agriculture, and Hon. Samuel Ongeri, Minister of Education,” Odinga announced.
Raila Suspends Ruto and Ongeri
The Prime Minister explained that two recent investigations, a forensic audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) on the maize scandal and the Report of the Internal Auditor General on Free Primary Education, provided credible grounds for investigating the two ministers.
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He emphasized that for the government to conduct fair, independent, and comprehensive investigations, which would allow for gathering of evidence to determine if any individuals should be prosecuted in these scandals, it was crucial for Ruto and Ong’eri to step aside.
Ruto Fires Back at the Prime Minister
In response, Agriculture Minister William Ruto dismissed his suspension, asserting that Odinga is not the appointing authority. He pointed out that PwC did not mention his name in their report.
“I have not received any communication from the appointing authority as Minister for Agriculture, and therefore, I will continue to fulfill my responsibilities until that authority tells me otherwise. I respectfully ask the Prime Minister which part of the PwC report implicates the Minister for Agriculture or William Ruto in any way,” he stated.
Education Minister Professor Sam Ongeri echoed Ruto’s sentiments, stating that he had not received any communication from the appointing authority.
“I have not heard any message from the appointing authority, and I am quite clear in my mind about who that authority is,” Ongeri asserted.
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Later, President Mwai Kibaki issued a statement dismissing Odinga’s decision to suspend the ministers, indicating that he was not consulted and that the Prime Minister did not have the authority to suspend them.
“The legal provisions on which the Prime Minister acted do not grant him the authority to suspend or cause any minister to vacate office. There has been no consultation between the President and the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister,” read Kibaki’s statement.
The President further clarified that William Ruto and Sam Ongeri remain ministers and will continue to serve in their positions in office.
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